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Thursday, December 02, 2004

The Other Picture

Here's a picture of me, when I was about 12, with my horse. It makes me really sad since she died about three months ago. Wasn't she beautiful? Anways, this will be the picture I will use for the American painting.



not the best quality, but what can ya do?

i don't know

Here's a picture I drew of my hand in ball point pen...it's the only thing I've drawn since I've started art school....

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

The picture

Ok, a few updates on my project...

I didn't get the grant because I'm not retarded, don't have medical expenses, and don't live in a shack. I don't have money but...oh well..

to cut back on expneses I've decided to do my paintings in black and white. Hopefully I can get the wood for free. If so, all I'll have to pay for is a few brushes and some fat tubes of black and white paint. No problem.

So...I have the photo I'd like to work off of. It's already on my blog but enlarged it in photoshop and added a filter or two. It's a bit blurry, but I suppose it will get the job done. I still have to find a good picture of my horse :-p

Yes, so a little change in plans for the actual project. I am going to paint a picture of me and my horse (I feel dumb about it) and one of the picture below. I think this will be better to relate the country to myself. I hope it's not cheating to use pictures.

Pray for me :-) I have to do excellent on this one!

Sunday, November 21, 2004

FINAL PROJECT

For my final project on Romania I am planning on painting a large picture of me and my horse incorporated into a picture of a Romanian Gypsie and his or her horse. This picture will show my understanding of the people's relationships with their horses. I am hoping to get a grant for this project...and if I don't, I don't know what I'm going to do!

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

A Dream

I heard Romania was beautifiul...

my friend Ashley told me so!

If I went to Romania tonight I wonder how it would be.

Maybe it would be hot. Maybe the air would be filled with the smell of ripe, sweet fruits and bitter nuts. I'd look around and see all types of beautiful round apples and grapes and oranges growing on thousands of little trees standing in lines. It sounds like a wonderful place to be.

In the morning I would wake and finally really open my eyes to the world of Romania. In the distance, a small city sits. I hear the people in the city talking in several different languages. I also hear the clanking of old Gypsie wagons trailing across the modern, paved roads. Many people have very dark skin. I enjoy the way many of the people are so modern with their escalades, while others ride their horses bareback, and barefoot, to the outskirts of town where they sell their wooden spoons.

to be continued...

p.s. pardon my spelling! :-)

Currently in Romania...

Currently in Romania there are a few issues that I noticed popping up in all the papers.

Evidently, there is a new theme park opening up in Transylvania that is supposed to bring in a lot of tourism to the area. The money that comes in will be very good for the economy! A plus for this poorer country. The theme park's THEME is the whole vampire legend...which actually, I saw on the Descovery channel one time that it is true. Well, not that there are vampires of course, but that there was a man who used to bathe in, and drink, the blood of young women. I think this was in the 1800's, but I'm not sure. Very interesting, huh?

Also, I heard something about some crazy Canadians digging for gold in Romania. Now, who knew that Canadians ran around digging up other countrie's gold? Not me! Anways, they are digging up this gold and some organization of Romanian people, that are all about nature, are very upset about this- they are protesting.

Another thing I heard was that the senate went on a vacation day. I don't really know what that's all about though.

I know there's more...maybe I'll look again.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

SOME SAYINGS

Dza devlesa

God go with you

Russia

2.90


El Crallis ha nicobado la liri de los Cales

The king has taken away the law of the gypsies

Cale; note the hybrid of Romani lexicon and Castilian phonology, morphology and syntax

6.167


Feri ando payi sitsholpe te nauyas

It was in the water that one learned to swim

Lovara

3.60


Gadje Gadjensa, Rom Romensa

Gadje with Gadje, Rom with Rom

 

4.96


I chatski tsinuda de tehara, vai de haino, khal tut

The true nettle stings from the beginning

 

4.94


I chirikleski kul chi perel duvar pe yek than

The droppings of the flying bird never fall twice on the same spot

 

4.24


Isi ili daba

Here there are also smacks

 

1.35


Isi ma xarica love; so hramosorav andi gazeta; a-ko isi pomoshinav tumen

I have a little money; I am a journalist; maybe I can help you

 

1.209


Jekh dilo kerel but dile hai but dile keren dilimata

One madman makes many madmen, and many madmen make madness

 

1.37


Ka xlia ma pe tute

I am going to shit on you

Albania

1.34


Kai zhal o vurdon vurma mekela

Where the wagon goes a trail is left

 

4.97


Kaski san?

Whose are you?

 

9.193


Kay zhala I suv shay zhala wi o thav

Where the needle goes, surely the thread will follow

 

4.95


Kon del tut o nai shai dela tut wi o vast

He who willingly gives you one finger will also give you the whole hand

 

3.205


Kon khakhavel o balo wi leste si I shuri

He who feeds the pig also holds the knife over it when it is fattened

 

4.115


Kon khal but, khal peski bakht

He who eats much eats away his own luck

Kalderash saying

3.224


Love k-o vast, bori k-o grast

Money in hand, bride on horse

 

1.286


Mandar tsera tai kater o Del mai but te aven tumenge

From me a little money, but may God give you plenty

?tumenge -> humungous

3.201


Mashkar le gadjende leski shib si le Romeski zor

Surrounded by the Gadje, the Rom's only defence is his tongue

 

3.51


May angle sar te merel kadi yag

Before this fire burns out

Armaya

3.169


May kali i muri may gugli avela

The darker the berry the sweeter it is

Oh the Difficulties We Face

Gypsies are recognized for having darker skin than the Romanians.

Many wear home-made tattoos-they are generally poorly drawn.

Romania has the largest portion of Gypsie people - about 2 million

The communist regine in Romania used to offer the Gpysies protection, but is now gone.

They often have very poor educatons and very crowded l iving situations.

They are often seen partying at the late hours of the night.

Their life expectancy is about ten years below average because they are often undernourished.

Gypsy women marry at younger ages and have higher birth rates than normal.

Mortality rates of these people are four times higher than the other ethnicitiies in the region.

Gypsies face terrible discrimination.

They are a people laiden with many difficulties.

PART OF AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE HATE

> “Gypsies are not Romanians” – a very widespread idea in Romania.

The problem is not that the Roma don’t consider themselves Romanians, since the overwhelming majority of us do identify ourselves as Romanians. The problem is that you – that is the mass media and the greater part of the Romanian citizens who hallucinate that there exists such a thing as “pure ethnic” Romanians - consider us to be non-Romanian.


Starting from a truly false dichotomy – “you are either gypsy, or Hungarian, or Jew, or you are Romanian” – which is imposed upon public opinion by politicians who are paranoid or at best stupid, Romanian society has associated the word “gypsy” with a powerful social stigma through the many stereotypes it stubbornly promotes.

In case you are convinced that you have no problems with a racism that has become commonplace in Romania, especially since you have “gypsy” friends or you grew up with “gypsies” (the kind of foolish remarks most used when trying to show a “tolerant spirit”; although the claim of being “tolerant” is the first step towards racism and xenophobia) - well then you should have no problem if some foreigners mistakenly consider you to be a gypsy especially if you happen to be a little suntanned.

In this case “hey gypsy, how are you doing” shouldn’t offend you or unleash a powerful defensive reaction. And neither should the epithet itself.

> “Gypsies are gypsies and 'Roma' is one of their inventions after the revolution” – a Romanian journalist.

This makes it sound as if we have no right to be using the word “Roma,” which has always been in our own Romanes language, but should instead be using a word which is more familiar to you and which associates us with the great majority of the crimes, thefts, rapes, and acts of violence which proliferate in Romanian mass-media.

And to top it off, instead of being happy to be called “stinking gypsy” and those other similar nicknames such as “crow,” “gypsy-boy,” “darkie,” “gypsy princess” which clearly pinpoint the ethnic identity of criminals and allow anyone who reads the news to identify the “enemy”, we also have the effrontery to want to be Roma.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

The Gypsies

Romania has the largest population of Gypsies in the World. Five to ten percent of Romanians are gypsie; more than two-million people.

The Gypsies have lived in Romania for hundreds of years but have not become socially excepted by the rest of the Romanians. They are a people who have always, and still are, greatly discriminated against.



Example of their discrimination:

Exploitation of Romanian Gypsies

By Liz Fekete

1 April 1993

Romanian Gypsies have been kept in conditions of virtual slavery by Hungarian farmers, according to an exposé in the Magyar Nemzet newspaper.

Fifty-one farmers from near the southern city of Mako have been fined for employing illegal workers.



These people are known for their natural, un-modern way of living. They live and travel in wagons and throw giant parties late in the night. They are generally very poor and live in large groups and poor conditions. However, these people are always smiling in pictures.

The Gpysies are very rich with culture. The women are often dressed in very bright colors, and the men are generally seen wearing suits.

Some of the Gypsies, however, do end up finding themselves living more comfortably later in life.



example from website listed:

Marin Grinea Stoica, bulibasha or leader of the gypsies of the relatively affluent village of Buzescu, sits with his wife and grandson, Alexandria, Romania. Marin describes himself as a businessman but doesn't elaborate, 'my family has always upgraded from a caravan to a Dacia and now to a Mercedes'
April 2000
10/11


The Romanian Gypsies have created music through they years that has sweetened the ears of many. (I'll right more about their music soon!)

Colorful People



A group of the people. You rarely see a picture of a gypsie who is alone.



The gypsie people have a strong connection to their horses. They rely on them for transportation and revolve many of their events around these animals.



The traveling gypsie's home - the wagon.



They are beautiful people.

EXCLAMATION POINT

Yes it's true! I have found something truly interesting to me about the wonderful country of Romania...the Gypsies.

Here are a few of the websites that got me hooked on this amazing part of Romanian culture.

www.red-top.com/ files/archive.html

http://www.irr.org.uk/europebulletin/hungary/violence_harassment/

It's amazing to me how these beautiful and culturally rich people are discriminated so greatly in their own country.

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

THE FLAG

A Glipse of Romania



Here are some gypsies in beautifully colored outfits.









Romania in Europ - Environment

Romania is the third - largest Eastern European country.

Romania lies on the black sea, and shares borders with Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Hungary, Ukraine and Moldova.

Much of the country is covered in the Carpathian Mountains (forest covered), hills of orchards and vinyards, and fertile plain where cereals, vegetables, and herbs are grown.

The Carpathian mountains are now home to 60% of Europe's bears. Some 40% of Europe's wolves and 35% of its lynx also live there, along with stag, wild boar, badger, deer, fox, and the green woodpecker, jay and grey owl. Romania's main drawcard for twitchers is the Danube Delta, home to 60% of the world's small pygmy cormorant population, the white grey egret, bee-keeper and white-tailed eagle.

The average annual temperature is 11°C in the south and on the coast, but only 2°C in the mountains. Romanian winters can be extremely cold and foggy, with lots of snow from December to April. In summer there's usually hot, sunny weather on the Black Sea coast. The majority of Romania's rain falls in the spring, with the mountains getting the most, the Danube Delta the least

Culture

Romania has a strong tradition of peasant art; painting on glass or wood.

Folk music and circle or line dancing are very popular forms of entertainment.

Frescoes were first painted here, in Bucovina's monasteries. These works of art almost always portreyed some feelings about religion of politics.

Epic folk literature emerged here in the 15th century, along with pieces written in the Romanian language for the first time in history.

Romania's best known writer is Eugene Ionesco who lived from 1812 to 1994.

The food is known to be dull. Popular foods include the traditional grilled pork, pork liver, grilled chicken, tripe soup, and greasy potatoes. Also, mamagliga, a hard or solft cornmeal mush, is the countries most novel dish. Deserts include placinta (turnovers), clarite (crepes) and saraille (almond cake soaked in syrup).

The gypsies have influenced much of the music and culture in Romania.

The Romanians are generally thought to be very hospitable people.